


To Darkness

by Half



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, PTSD, Torture, War AU, rated for content things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-03 09:49:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11529744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half/pseuds/Half
Summary: A mission gone wrong and a reporter in the wrong place at the wrong time. Will they find each other in the darkness?Will it be enough?





	1. The Sky Above Us

**Author's Note:**

> Evil Plot Cohort: TheGaySmurf

The airship landed ten minutes early, but the military escort was already waiting.

It wasn’t entirely convenient, since she had been planning on snooping around a bit before she had an annoying shadow.

“Ms. Earp, we’ve discussed this before,” Captain Nicole Haught said, swiftly leading Waverly towards the main building of the United Allied Force base. “You can’t just show up and request information. We give press releases. That’s enough for the public.”

“I don’t think it’s enough. You’ve got four countries collaborating here, and you really expect me to believe that there isn’t more going on? This is _exactly_ where I need to be in order to get the best story.”

Nicole scoffed loudly. “Right. That’s why you’re going to the civilian area and nowhere else.”

“Oh, c’mon. You can’t tell me that a cocky Irish flyboy like you doesn’t want to brag at least a _little_.” Waverly raised her eyebrows and pouted. “I won’t rat you out to anybody.”

“Mhm.” Nicole flicked her finger against the steel press badge pinned to Waverly’s blouse. “I may be a cocky flyboy, Ms. Earp, but I’m also no fool.”

“No fun, either,” Waverly muttered.

“The world wasn’t made for desk jockeys, Ms. Earp,” Nicole said as she opened the door and ushered Waverly inside. “There isn’t a whole lot of time for _fun_ here.”

 

+++++

 

“General McCready, I’m not leaving until I get more information than my competitors have gotten,” Waverly said, following General Gus McCready through the hallways of the base.

“Ms. Earp, you’re permitted here because your sister happens to be one of my better officers. You have a very limited time. Don’t push your luck.”

Waverly stopped as she hit a checkpoint leading into a secured section of the base. “I’ll get what I came here for, General. I’m far more stubborn than that.”

McCready gave a dry laugh as she continued down the hall. “Trust me, Ms. Earp. I’ve met your sister. I’m well aware.”

 

+++++

 

“Hey, Captain, has anyone ever told you that your accent is sexy?”

Nicole rolled her eyes as she filled out paperwork and tried to ignore the journalist lounging next to her.

“You can’t just not listen to anything I say ever.”

“I can give it a shot.”

“Ha. You heard _that_.”

Nicole looked up from her typewriter to stare at the wall. “What exactly are you looking for, Ms. Earp? You come here once a month and you say you’re looking for information but you never say exactly _what_ information you think you’ll find.”

“Don’t you get it? I won’t know what I want until I see it.”

“Uh huh. You’re gonna be waiting a long, long time, then.”

“I’m not sure that’s true.”

“Well, let me know how that works out for you.” Nicole pulled her paperwork out of the machine in front of her and stood. “I’ve got a plane to catch.”

“Leaving?”

“There’s a Curtiss P-40 out there with my name on it.” With a wink, Nicole turned and headed out of the room. “Or, at least, my squadron’s name.”

Waverly drummed her fingers on the table as she watched her leave. “Well then,” she murmured. “What was it you said about waiting?”

 

+++++

 

Nicole got her plane into the air right on schedule and reported in to her squadron leader. Then she settled back into her seat and headed towards the location codenamed “REVENANT”.

She was approximately halfway there when a voice in the seat behind her said, “So, what exactly is this ‘REVENANT’?”

_“HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK”_

Nicole spun around in her seat so quickly she almost sent her plane into a dive, bashing the back of her head against the glass canopy. Waverly just stared at her, casually sitting in the second chair of the cockpit.

“Seems like an overreaction, Captain.”

“When was the last time you had someone pop up where no person should exist, Ms. Earp?” Nicole demanded. She rested her hand over her heart, took a few deep breaths, and regained control of her plane. “Jesus Fucking Christ. What is wrong with you?”

“Well, I found this uniform just lying around,” Waverly explained, fidgeting with the dark green suit she was wearing, “so I figured that the best way for me to get information would be to actually get involved in the situation.”

“You are a fucking insane-” Nicole’s words were cut off as a violent explosion rocked the plane, and she was forced to focus completely on what was happening outside. “Oh, _shit_.”

“What was that?” Waverly asked urgently.

“If you aren’t wearing a seat belt, I’d put one on now. An anti-aircraft cannon spotted us.”

“You can avoid that, can’t you?”

Another explosion ripped part of the right wing off of the plane.

“Apparently not.”

The plane pitched forward, Nicole’s desperate tugging on the controls the only thing keeping it from diving straight into the ground below them.

“Get on the radio,” Nicole said through gritted teeth.

“What?”

“Pick up the radio. Dial 6-2-2-0. Tell them that plane 2-0-0-4 is going down an hour south of REVENANT with two souls on board. Capture likely.”

Waverly did as she was told, then leaned forward, her hand resting on Nicole’s shoulder. “Does ‘capture likely’ mean what I think it means?”

Nicole shot her a grim look. “You wanted to be part of the story, right, Waverly?” She nodded at the fast-approaching ground and the squadron of soldiers visible about a mile away. “You’re gonna get your wish.”


	2. Tell The Thoughts Of Hell

Waverly listened to diesel engines thudding right next to her head for hours. She could feel Nicole pressed against her back, occasionally pushing her fingers into Waverly’s palm in an attempt to comfort her, but all she really had to ground her was darkness.

Darkness, and a stinging pain in her head from where the soldiers had struck her with a rifle to subdue her.

She hadn’t considered it necessary, since she wasn’t fighting back, but it seemed to be something that they had just decided to do regardless.

Something to confuse, and disorientate, and hurt.

She pushed back against Nicole, taking comfort in her presence and the fact that they were both still alive. The engines stopped suddenly, leaving her with a dull and angry ringing in her ears, but before she could try to regain her senses, someone grabbed her by her boots and dragged her out of the truck and let her fall into the dirt.

She both felt and heard Nicole fall beside her, the short grunt of surprise and her shoulder smacking into Waverly’s.

For a moment, Waverly was convinced that this was where they were going to die.

Until she realized that they couldn’t get information out of dead bodies.

Ironic.

She was going to die slowly for the exact same reason that she put herself in this situation in the first place.

Waverly was dragged to her knees, and the hood was yanked off of her head. As her eyes adjusted to the bright spotlight being shone in her face, she realized that she was looking up at a tall, thin man with a carefully trimmed beard and hair that was a bit longer than she thought would be regulation.

“Hello,” he said, his voice quiet. “Welcome to the Park. I am Colonel Roger Jack. I trust your ride was pleasant?”

“Not particularly,” Nicole replied. “Service was terrible. No drinks? None of those little pretzels? And the _turbulence_. I’d like to file a complaint.”

The colonel smirked. “You’re going to be a fun one. Name, soldier.”

“Pilot. Captain Nicole Haught, United Irish Air Corp.”

He turned to Waverly. “And you, soldier?”

“I’m not-” Waverly caught sight of Nicole giving a very small shake of her head, and she quickly changed her sentence. “Airman First Class Waverly Earp, Air Force of the Canadian Republic.”

“How adorable.” Jack jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Put them inside.”

 

+++++

 

They were put in the same cell, in isolation with no windows and barely enough room for them to sit across from each other or lie down.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole said, her voice soft, once they had been sitting alone in the dark for what could have been five minutes or five hours.

“What are you sorry for?”

“I was the one flying the plane, Waverly.”

“Yeah, well. I was the one distracting you from doing that.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Waverly rested her foot on top of Nicole’s shin. “It’s not yours, either.”

 

+++++

 

They were kept in the cell for a long time.

They didn’t really know exactly how long, because in the darkness, time felt irrelevant, and the guards had confiscated Nicole’s watch.

All they knew was that when they were dragged out of the cell, led into a small room that, Nicole immediately noticed, had a drain in the floor, and strapped down into wooden chairs facing each other, they felt weak from hunger and thirst, and their eyes burned in the light.

Colonel Jack entered after only a few minutes and surveyed them both with a blank look on his face.

“I’m so sorry; I neglected to bring the pretzels with me.”

“That’s okay,” Nicole replied, her voice hoarse and rasping. “Do you guys import any Irish whiskey?”

“Shame. Looks like your time in your cell hasn’t repaired your mouth problem.”

Nicole shrugged. “My mum could never cure it either.”

“Cute.” Jack pulled another chair over and sat down, crossing his legs and arms and studying them both. “The faster you give me information, the faster you die, soldiers.”

“Not much motivation then, is there?”

Waverly snorted out a laugh that she quickly muffled when Jack glared at her.

“Trust me, Captain. You’ll want the faster death far more than you’ll want the slow one.”

“I’ve always been a ‘third option’ kind of gal. Picked ‘C’ for every question on every multiple choice test in school. How I graduated the academy, I couldn’t tell you.”

Jack frowned and rubbed his thumb over the handle of the walking stick he had been carrying. “Captain, I know that you or the Airman can tell me the locations of the troops in the area. Passcodes for the bases. Critical information that I will need to proceed. I have no issue with keeping you dying until you give up that data.”

“Well, if you’ll keep me alive, then I don’t see why I’d have any interest in talking.”

“What was it that you said about third options, Captain?” Jack stood and waved a hand at the soldier guarding the door. “You won’t be _dead_. But I’m not quite so certain about _alive_ , either.”

A man in a white lab coat, hair graying at the temples and a set of goggles around his neck, shuffled into the room, whistling as he pushed a cart loaded to capacity with sharp objects.

“I heard you had some patients for me, Colonel?” he asked, his voice calm as if he was walking into the waiting room of a clinic.

“Yes, I do. I need these two to give me the information they have stored in their heads. They don’t seem very willing to give it. Try to convince them that it would be in their best interests.” Jack looked at Nicole and gave the smallest of smiles. “This is Dr. Reggie Dugald. He’ll be keeping you company until you decide to cooperate.”

“Oo, like a spa day? Can’t wait.”

Jack patted the doctor on the shoulder and nodded towards Nicole. “Make sure you take your time with that one.”

Reggie smirked. “Gladly.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly wasn’t sure what was worse.

The burning pain aching through her body so hard that her spine was shivering.

Or the sounds of Nicole’s screams.

The soldiers of Fort Park had invented a sort of dull knife that burned red hot, cauterizing as it cut. And the doctor knew exactly where the slide it into a person’s body to cause pain without damaging a vital organ.

To make matters worse, Nicole would not shut up.

“I think you missed a spot. I can still feel my toes.”

“Hey, doc, do you think you could get me a cool compress? It’s starting to feel a little warm in here.”

“Did you get your license from a mail-in Ovaltine promotion? Just wondering.”

“Could you carve a Celtic knot in my arm with that? I think it would look pretty badass. Only if you’re good at drawing, though.”

After almost fifteen minutes of constantly listening to Nicole’s cries of pain quickly followed by her continuing to antagonize Reggie, Waverly snapped her fingers and yelled, “Hey! I’m getting bored over here!”

She ignored the furious glare Nicole shot at her as Reggie turned slowly and headed towards her, picking up his second knife.

“Your attention to cleanliness is adorable,” Waverly said dryly. “I’m glad you’re so very concerned that my and Nicole’s blood might cross-contaminate. After all, we wouldn’t want somebody to get _hurt_.”

“Of course not,” Reggie said quietly. “I’m trying to _fix_ you.” Slowly, deliberately, and far too painfully, he slid the blade through Waverly’s thigh to the left of her femoral artery. “Are you _fixed_ yet, Airman?”

Waverly stared him in the eye, her jaw set firmly. “I was never broken to begin with.”

Reggie yanked the blade out with a suddenness that made Waverly’s vision go momentarily black with agony, and he rested the scorching hot metal against the side of her neck.

Her scream was loud enough that she barely heard him as he murmured, “With that attitude, this will _never_ end.”

 

+++++

 

They were kept in the chairs for two days straight before being transferred back into their cell for a break deemed necessary to keep them alive.

Waverly rested against the wall, keeping her breathing shallow so as not to bother the burn on her neck, and Nicole huddled against the opposite wall, refusing to look at her.

“Nicole,” Waverly rasped after some time. “Don’t ignore me.”

“Gonna do it anyway,” Nicole replied. “I’m pissed off at you.”

“Why?”

“ _I’m_ supposed to take the brunt, you idiot. That’s why I keep…” She paused, her breath catching as she adjusted her position. “Why I keep mouthing off. You’re a civilian, Waverly. I can take it. You aren’t supposed to have to.”

“I made my choice.”

“Tough shit. Don’t do it again. I’ll live.”

Waverly was quiet for a few minutes before saying, “I think listening to you scream hurts more than the actual physical pain.”

When Nicole finally responded, she sounded more tired than angry. “If I could do anything to prevent you from having to live with that, I would, Waverly Earp. Trust me on that.”

“I do trust you, Nicole. That’s why it hurts so bad to see you like that.”

There was a rustle of movement, and Waverly felt Nicole settle next to her. “Don’t worry,” Nicole whispered. “I’ll be fine. Please. I can’t stand seeing you get hurt.”

Waverly rested her head lightly on Nicole’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “Just promise me that you’ll let me take some of the weight when you get too tired. I’ll be fine, too, Nicole.”

She felt Nicole squeeze her hand, very softly. “I promise,” Nicole whispered into the darkness.


	3. Not As Brave As You Were At The Start

Over the next half a week, Nicole and Waverly were only put in the chairs for about an hour each day. They were then left in the cell for one full day, alone in pitch black, before being dragged out yet again.

“I hope you’re both nice and rested up,” Reggie said with a grin. “I have so much more I’d like to try. Or did you decide to come to see sense?”

“No, I think all my little break did was bore the hell out of me,” Nicole replied. “The guards won’t even tell me how the Galway Rovers did in their match. That’s personally offensive to me.”

Reggie raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t know when to stop, do you?”

Nicole shrugged. “I’ve got a bit of an attention problem, so when people aren’t interesting I tend not to listen to them.”

“Is this interesting enough?” Reggie stabbed the red hot blade into her side and sliced it sideways instead of taking it out. He lingered the knife inside her torso and grabbed her hair, yanking her head back to bare her neck. “I wonder what the throat of a talker like you looks like, Captain?”

“Pretty hard to find out if you want any of that information you’re trying to get from me.”

“Hm. You do have a point.” Reggie twisted the knife once then pulled it out.

As he turned towards Waverly, Nicole slumped a bit in her chair, taking in a soft gasp for breath, her face pale.

After a short moment in which Reggie got a quick wound on Waverly’s bicep, Nicole said, “Aw, c’mon, we were just starting to have fun. And I know that _you_ could get the football scores. Hook me up.”

Reggie giggled gleefully. “I was waiting for a good moment for this.”

Nicole snorted. “For what? Being unnecessarily creepy? Buddy, you already jumped and leaped over that line.”

“Nope.” Reggie took something off of the bottom of his cart of torture tools and set it on the floor next to Nicole’s chair, then started wrapping thin wires around her wrists, ankles, and loosely around her throat.

“The fuck is this, a puppet show? I don’t dance, doc, sorry.”

Without warning, agonizing pain spiked through her body, jerking her in the chair so badly that Waverly screamed her name.

When the pain stopped, Nicole collapsed in her seat, panting for air, staring up at Reggie with confusion and hatred.

“We did some experiments,” he said, looking off into the distance fondly. “We discovered a diesel engine set up perfectly so that it could be cranked up to the highest level with the highest amount of pain possible, but it wouldn’t kill the average adult human.”

His gaze wandered back down to meet Nicole’s. “That was the lowest setting.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly held out for as long as she could.

She knew that Nicole wanted to take the brunt of what they were going through. She understood it. She had promised.

But there was only so long that she could listen to Nicole’s screams. Watch as Nicole writhed in agony in her chair. Sat uselessly as Nicole started to pass out before another stab from a red hot blade forced her back awake.

It was far less physically painful than what was happening to Nicole.

But it was in no way less of torture.

“Hey, Dr. Jackass!” Waverly yelled, shaking her bindings to catch Reggie’s attention. “Or is it Dr. Asshole? I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Reggie turned towards her, slowly lowering his goggles off of his face. “Yes?”

“I’m gettin’ really bored over here. Do you have like a movie I could watch while I wait?”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Reggie picked up the knife he had been using on Waverly. “I haven’t forgotten you.”

Waverly swallowed, her eyes glancing past him at Nicole, barely conscious in her chair. “Well, as long as you haven’t forgotten.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole had to be half-dragged, half-carried back to the cell.

When she was tossed inside, Waverly did her best to catch her, but the attempt just ended up sending them both sprawling to the floor.

Exhausted and weak from days of torture and lack of proper food and water wasn’t the sort of condition she needed to be in in order to hold up a woman half a foot taller than her who was almost entirely muscle.

Waverly sat down on the floor and pulled Nicole to her, resting her head in her lap. She gently stroked her fingers through Nicole’s hair and whispered, “You’re okay. It’s going to be okay.”

To her relief, Nicole gave a soft, rasping laugh. “You should see the other guy.”

“I did. You can’t pull that on me.”

“Drat.”

Waverly continued softly stroking Nicole’s head as she said, “We can’t stay here, Nicole. We won’t survive it. _You_ won’t survive it.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole mumbled. “I should be stronger than this. I was trained to withstand shit like this. You weren’t.”

“Stronger?” Waverly shook her head, swallowing back the desire to cry. “Nicole, please, trust me. You’re doing everything right. Everything.”

Nicole’s voice was barely above a whisper as she said, “I’m tired. God, Waverly, I’m so tired.”

“I know. It’s okay.” Waverly stroked her thumb over Nicole’s forehead. “You’ll be okay. We just need a plan.”

“I don’t know if I can make one,” Nicole sighed.

“Well, luckily for you, I am an _expert_ planner.”

“Mm. How’d you end up in a prison camp, then?”

“Everybody has their off days.”

“You picked a really bad one.”

Waverly laughed softly, tears in her eyes. “Yeah, I did.” She cradled Nicole’s head in her lap, still softly stroking her forehead. “Rest, Nicole. Please. You’re safe here with me.”

Drowsiness thick in her voice, Nicole replied, “I’d feel safe anywhere with you.”

“Good. You had better.”

Waverly wasn’t sure what made her do it, but she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Nicole’s lips.

“It’ll be okay,” she whispered, her breath lightly ghosting against Nicole’s cheek. “It has to be.”


	4. Find Strength In Pain

Nicole woke up to Waverly’s arms wrapped around her and her nose lightly touching the back of her neck.

“Waverly,” Nicole murmured.

In response, Waverly tightened her grip around Nicole’s waist.

“Shh,” Waverly whispered. “Just rest some more.”

Nicole shifted back against Waverly as best she could, lying and listening out in the hallway for when the guards would come to retrieve them. When she heard the jangle of keys, she tapped her fingers against Waverly’s hand.

“C’mon, Waves. We have to get up.”

They pulled themselves weakly into a sitting position, just far enough apart, in time for the guards stepping into the the cell.

In the dim light, Waverly could see that Nicole’s face hadn’t regained any of its color in the night.

That scared her far more than what awaited them.

 

+++++

 

The cycle of stabbing, burning, and electrocuting continued day after day after day.

In the nights, they found stability in each other, curled up together for warmth and to reassure themselves that they were both still breathing.

It didn’t take too long for them to kiss again, desperately pulling for some sense of a grounding wire.

They wanted to live. They wanted to go home. They had people that they could hold on to, in their minds, as a reason to survive.

But right there, alone in a dark cell, it all seemed so abstract to them.

What they had, right there, right then, was each other.

Something to hold on to, to survive for, that was far more real.

 

+++++

 

“Let’s make a deal,” Waverly said breathlessly, breaking off a kiss and resting her forehead against Nicole’s. Her hands were gripped tightly on the collar of what remained of Nicole’s uniform jacket, holding Nicole down against the floor. “Do you want to make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” Nicole asked, and Waverly could imagine the curiosity lighting what was left of the life in her eyes.

“We’re going to get out of here. And when we do, we can have sex. Actual sex.”

Nicole chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated through her and into Waverly’s body. “You get straight at the point, don’t you?”

“What’s the point in avoiding it?”

Nicole reached her hand up and ran her knuckles down Waverly’s cheek. “I’m all for it, Waverly Earp.”

“Then it’s a deal, Captain Haught.”

 

+++++

 

Reggie lowered his goggles, pouting. “You two aren’t any fun at all, you know that? I’ve tried my best combinations, and you won’t budge! I mean, I’ll admit, it’s very intriguing, but it’s hardly fair.” He stabbed his blade into Waverly’s shoulder with cold casualness. “Although, it’ll be very exciting to examine your bodies once you’re both dead. Clearly you’ve been built rather tough in order to be here this long.”

“Don’t you know?” Nicole asked. “We booked the deluxe package.”

“Hm.” Reggie started winding the electrical wires around Nicole. “The last soldier I had in here? She was a medic from the Western American Army. She cracked after only about a week. I don’t understand you two at all.”

“We’re a special brand. They broke the mold. The world could only handle so much hotness at one time.”

Reggie shook his head as he looked down at Nicole. “Are all the Irish as mouthy and stupid as you?”

“Wouldn’t know. I’ve been too busy killing jackasses like you to pay much attention.”

The doctor gave a long, slow smirk. “Cute.”

He put the electricity up to its strongest setting.

Nicole writhed in her chair so badly that it fell over, bashing her head into the ground and allowing the metallic ground to increase the sensation of the pain flooding through her body.

Waverly, panicked, struggled against her bindings. _“Stop!”_ she screamed. _“For fuck’s sake, stop!”_

Reggie ignored her, leaving the current on until Nicole went limp. He turned the device off, then kicked Nicole’s shoulder roughly. When she gave a soft moan, he nodded.

“Still alive. I knew we made this machine properly.” He snapped his fingers at the guards standing by the door. “Take this one back to the cell. I still want a few more minutes with her friend.”

 

+++++

 

When Waverly was tossed back into the cell about an hour later, she tripped over Nicole, who was passed out on the floor.

“Nic. Jesus Christ, Nic.”

Waverly knelt down by Nicole’s head and pulled off her jacket to wipe off the blood she could feel staining her forehead.

“M’alright, Waves,” Nicole mumbled.

“I’m sure you are,” Waverly replied, her voice cracking.

“Dunno how much more I can take,” Nicole admitted in a whisper.

“That’s okay, baby,” Waverly murmured, stroking her fingers through Nicole’s hair. “You’ve done so well.”

She pressed a soft kiss to Nicole’s lips, trying to not make it obvious that she was trembling, and she whispered, “Just rest for a while.”

 

+++++

 

The next time the guards came back, they took Waverly and left Nicole in the cell.

When Waverly returned after a few hours, Nicole had dragged herself into a sitting position against the wall.

“I wanted you to rest,” Waverly said softly.

“Yeah, well, I swore to myself that I’d never let you go out there alone. So I’m a bit busy being pissed at my stupid useless body.”

“Hey.” Waverly straddled Nicole’s legs and took her face in her hands. “You promised me that I could take some of the weight. It’s okay, Nicole. I’m alright. Please keep the promise and don’t be mad at yourself.”

Nicole leaned forward and rested her head against Waverly’s shoulder. “I’m trying. It’s just hard.”

Waverly stroked the back of Nicole’s neck. “I know. But we’ll figure it out.”

 

+++++

 

“You aren’t looking very good, Captain,” Reggie said, lifting Nicole’s head by her chin and squinting at her. “Why don’t we take it easy today? Only the _low_ settings on the current.”

“Fuck off,” Nicole muttered.

“No snappy comeback? You must not be feeling well.”

Nicole met his gaze solidly. “I’ll feel better when you’re a corpse.”

 

+++++

 

They laid on the floor, pressed tightly together, trying to get some sleep.

“Waverly,” Nicole whispered in her ear.

“Unless you’re dying, I’d like to sleep now,” Waverly grumbled.

“Rude.”

Waverly chuckled weakly and rested her head under Nicole’s chin. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I know how we can get out of here.”

Waverly scoffed. “Unless you’ve suddenly figured out how to dig through concrete, Haught, I don’t think that’s happening.”

Nicole kissed her temple. “No. I mean that I’ve been paying attention. I think we pass a hanger when they transport us between that room and our cell here.”

Though she couldn’t see her in the darkness, Waverly looked up at Nicole. “What are you saying?”

She felt Nicole’s grin. “I’m saying that we have a chance to not die in here. Do you want to take it?”

Waverly could hear the hesitation and fear in Nicole’s voice. The anxiety.

She had no idea if the plan concocting in her brain could actually work.

But Waverly was well past caring.

“Yes,” Waverly said, tugging Nicole closer and kissing her hard on the mouth. “Let’s get out of here.”


	5. Floored By Fear Of It All

Their plan was far from perfect, but it was all they had.

Nicole went limp in her chair after Reggie stabbed her particularly deep below the ribs. He waved his hand for the guards to take her and Waverly back to their cell.

As they walked, the guards dragging Nicole between them, Nicole suddenly fought against them, shoving one into a wall and punching the other in the face.

The three guards escorting them overpowered her easily, pinning her to the ground hard enough to bash her head into the floor.

In the confusion, none of them noticed Waverly stealing one set of keys.

 

+++++

 

_“Ow.”_

Waverly gave a soft laugh and brushed her fingers from Nicole’s temple to her chin. “It was _your_ idea to get your ass kicked.”

“I’m regretting it. Severely.” Nicole paused, fidgeting against the wall of their cell. “Although, honestly, at this point I’m not even sure that I can feel pain anymore. Is that a good thing?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

Nicole laughed and rested her head against Waverly’s. “Didn’t think so.”

Waverly tapped the keys against Nicole’s hand. “So. When should we do this?”

“Soon. I want it to be approximately night, and I’m pretty sure it’s getting close.” Nicole pressed a kiss to the side of Waverly’s head. “And then we’ll be free.”

“Or dead,” Waverly mumbled.

Nicole hesitated. “Well. Would that be worse than this?”

After a long moment, Waverly shook her head. “No. No, it wouldn’t.”

 

+++++

 

“Waverly,” Nicole whispered in her ear. “Hey. It’s time.”

“Whazzit?”

Nicole chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to Waverly’s neck, just barely missing a burn in her throat. “You fell asleep.”

Waverly rubbed at her eyes and sat up. “Sorry. Why didn’t you wake me?”

She could hear the apology in Nicole’s voice as the captain replied, “Because you’re going to need it.”

Nicole struggled to her feet and limped over to the door, feeling around for the handle. “Here,” she whispered. “Right here.” Her voice lowered to a mumble. “Good thing these dumbasses have a safety feature in their doors in case they lock themselves in. Idiots.”

“Who designs a prison like that. Seriously.”

Nicole took the key from Waverly, but she paused before inserting it into the lock. “You know. I can’t guarantee that this won’t set off an alarm.”

Waverly set her hand on Nicole’s shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.

“Do it.”

Nicole unlocked the door.

And nothing happened.

She pulled it opened slowly, peering out into the hallway and finding it empty.

“Okay,” she murmured. “Wanna give it a shot?”

“Yes,” Waverly said firmly, her nervousness only showing in the shuddering of her fingers as she gripped the back of Nicole’s jacket.

 

+++++

 

They made their way to the door Nicole had identified as a hanger without any incident. Nicole leaned against it to listen, but she sighed and closed her eyes.

“I can’t hear anything.”

“You mean it’s empty?”

“I mean that I think my hearing is partially shot from those assholes beating my head into the floor.”

Waverly skimmed her fingers up Nicole’s spin and rested her head against the door. “I don’t hear anything, either,” she murmured.

“Alright. C’mon.”

Nicole opened the door, and as she did, Waverly noted with a short burst of affection and amusement that Nicole was intentionally putting herself between Waverly and any potential danger ahead of them.

She had figured out that Nicole Haught was a very stubborn woman.

They crept into the hanger, looking around at the line of planes.

“The hanger doors are closed,” Waverly whispered.

“That’s okay,” Nicole whispered. “We’re heading for that plane.”

“The one right by the door?”

“And right near the lever for opening it.” Nicole took Waverly’s hand in hers. “That’s a modified Grumman Hellcat. It’s our best bet.”

When they got to the plane, Nicole pointed at the lever. “When I say so, I need you to hit that. And then I need you to get your ass into this plane.”

Waverly smiled at her slightly. “Is that all?”

“Considering I’ll have maybe ten seconds to get this plane in the air before we get shot? Yeah. That’s all.”

“Somebody’s a little stressed,” Waverly teased gently.

“Oh, and also grab two of those packs off that wall.”

Waverly picked up two of the bags. “What are they?”

“No clue, but I’d rather have them than not.”

After an uncomfortable number of minutes waiting by the lever holding the bags, Waverly looked up into the cockpit and saw Nicole staring blankly at the controls.

“Hey,” she called quietly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just… I…”

Her voice trembled, and Waverly understood.

Captain Nicole Haught, who had put up with torture after torture just to protect Waverly, was afraid.

Because it all suddenly became real.

“Nicole,” Waverly said, “it’s okay. C’mon. Let’s get out of here.”

Nicole swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, alright. Pull the lever and get in the plane.”

The door started to rise and the plane’s engines kicked into life as Waverly scrambled up into the cockpit, shoving the two bags between her knees.

“I’m gonna warn you now,” Nicole said, her voice low and grim. “This’ll probably suck.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole had not been lying.

Their escape had been clean until the plane left the hanger, at which point sirens immediately started.

Sirens, and shooting.

Waverly found that Nicole, even weak and disoriented, was a remarkably good pilot when focused, weaving back and forth in a plane she wasn’t used to flying and avoiding the anti-aircraft cannons trying to shoot them back down.

When they got out of range of the weaponry, Waverly glanced back and saw soldiers beginning to mobilize.

“What’s stopping them from following us by plane?”

“This.” Nicole suddenly spun the plane around and thumbed her controls, shooting two missiles directly into the hanger they had left from.

As it exploded, she yanked the plane back on the exit path and pushed it forward as fast as it could go.

“They’ll not have much luck following us in planes that are on fire,” Nicole said, shooting Waverly a grin over her shoulder.

Waverly was fairly certain that it was the first time she saw genuine humor in Nicole’s eyes since the last time they were in a plane together.

 

+++++

 

They flew for about an hour before Nicole said, “So, I have something to tell you. Two things, actually.”

“What’s that?”

“One, we were in that camp for six weeks.”

_“Six weeks?”_ Waverly asked incredulously. “How do you know?”

“Calendar,” Nicole replied, tapping one of her instruments. “Also… I knew before we picked this plane, but this was our only option. We don’t have enough fuel to get out of the country.”

Waverly paused. “What does that mean?”

Nicole sighed and shrugged. “Well, it’s a little better, because a plane by the border would draw more attention than two people. But it also means that we’re going to have to walk the rest of the way.”

“How much is the rest of the way?”

Nicole glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t think you want to know.”


	6. You Were All I Ever Longed For

When their plane began to run out of gas, Nicole found a patch of open land at the edge of a forest and gently set it down.

Waverly climbed out first, her knees buckling when she hit the ground, and she just knelt in the grass as Nicole fidgeted with the cockpit behind her.

“Am I allowed to admit that I didn’t think I’d ever see trees again?”

Nicole kicked her boot into the cockpit, then hopped down next to her, holding the bags and a few pieces of metal. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re allowed to.” She sat down next to Waverly and pulled the packs open. “Okay. We have six MREs each. A metal bowl. Two packs of matches. A torch. And a knife.”

“Why the hell would somebody put a torch in a backpack?”

Nicole blinked at her and pulled out a flashlight.

Waverly sighed and leaned back, resting against the ground. “Fuck the Irish.”

“You’re the wrong ones, you know. It’s like how you won’t call football by its proper name.”

“The word ‘soccer’ comes from ‘association football’ so it is _close enough_ , jackass.”

Nicole burst into laughter so heavy that she leaned forward on her knees in pain.

Waverly blinked up at her, baffled. “What’s wrong?”

“We just escaped a prison camp and we’re sitting here arguing over basic English.”

After a pause, Waverly joined her in her laughter, and they laid in the grass in fits of giggles.

When it finally faded, Nicole held up the pieces of metal she had pulled from the plane. “I took out a few parts so they can’t get that hunk of junk moving again. We’re close enough to the trees that it should be harder to spot it from any air search. I also stole the compass. I figure we’ll need it.” She struggled weakly to her feet and said, “This area has been pretty devastated by the war. We shouldn’t run into too many people.”

“Do you know where safety is from here?”

“West.”

“So are we…?”

“We’re going north.”

“North?”

“Yep.” Nicole held out a hand to help Waverly to her feet. “They’ll expect us to head either west, towards home, or south, towards the shore where we might find help. East would be suicide. So we’ll head north for a while, and then start going west after we’ve gotten a good distance away from the plane.”

“Alright then.” Waverly put her bag on her shoulders, wincing as it rubbed the injuries on her back. “Ready?”

Nicole took in a long, slow breath. “Ready.”

 

+++++

 

It took two days of walking north before they found anything that wasn’t an empty field or a forest. When Waverly spotted the old farmhouse, she was convinced that she was imagining it.

“Can you see mirages if you aren’t in a desert?”

Nicole shrugged. “At this point, I’d even take a mirage.”

They got to the farmhouse, approaching it carefully, and found that it seemed to be abandoned.

That’s when they saw the spigot.

“Holy shit, I hope that works,” Waverly mumbled.

Nicole reached out, fingers trembling, and turned the nozzle.

And water started falling.

Waverly let out a groan of relief. “We should test it,” she said, the logic part of her brain still functioning. “Or boil it. Or something.”

Nicole stuck her head under the stream of water.

“Or we can just wait a few hours and see if you die.”

Nicole pulled back, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes. “I wouldn’t even be mad.”

Waverly paused only a moment longer before putting her own head under the water, feeling the rough pulse wash over her. When she backed off, she sighed heavily. “Can you just drown me?”

Nicole laughed softly. “Sorry, but no.” She turned the spigot off and pulled herself onto the porch, stumbling a little on her way to the door and setting her hand against her side.

“Are you okay, Nicole?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You don’t… _look_ fine.”

“I’ve barely eaten in six weeks, Waverly, what do you want me to look like?”

“That’s not what I-”

“I’m _fine_.” Nicole opened the door and stepped inside.

Worry surging through her, Waverly followed her through the doorway.

 

+++++

 

The house was clearly empty, but the items belonging to those who once lived there still filled the building.

“They must’ve been forced out for some reason,” Nicole murmured, running her fingers along a line of dust on a cabinet. “A battle, or arrested, maybe.”

“We need to keep moving. I know that. But can we at least like… attempt to bathe and rest for a bit here? Please? We’ve been traveling for days, and I’m exhausted. And we still have a long way to go.”

“Sure. That’s probably a good way to do things.” Nicole took her knife out of her pack. “Just… let me check the house over first. Okay?”

“By all means.”

Waverly sat down on the couch and let Nicole head upstairs.

 

+++++

 

She woke to Nicole gently shaking her, and when she opened her eyes, Nicole was clearly freshly showered, her hair cut back to chin length, her clothing swapped for jeans and a flannel shirt that were a bit too bit for her.

“You fell asleep,” Nicole said, her voice soft and gentle. “I figured I’d let you be until I was done. There are some clothes left behind upstairs.”

“I’m sorry,” Waverly mumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

Nicole gave her a thin smile. “You have nothing to apologize for, Waverly Earp. Ever.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly found a set of pants and a shirt upstairs and put them on, then went back to the chilly living room to find Nicole asleep on the couch.

She was hungry. Had been for days. But she and Nicole had both decided not to eat the dried packs of food that had been in the bags stolen from Fort Park.

Not yet.

Not until it was a last resort.

She sat down on the end of the couch, shifting around and pulling Nicole’s legs up into her lap. As she rested her head back against the cushions, she felt Nicole move slightly.

“You ok?” Nicole asked, her voice a low grumble.

“Yeah,” Waverly said, rubbing Nicole’s shin. “I’m good. You should rest.”

“Rested enough.”

Waverly snorted. “You could rest for a week and it wouldn’t be enough.”

Nicole sat up slowly, so that she was practically sitting in Waverly’s lap. “The same goes for you.”

“Mm. Perhaps.” Waverly fidgeted with Nicole’s collar, running a finger along Nicole’s neck. “What if I didn’t want to rest?”

Nicole raised an eyebrow. “What if.”

Waverly leaned forward and kissed her, then moved and pushed her backwards until she was laying down again. She slowly unbuttoned Nicole’s shirt, her fingers skimming across pale skin and freshly healed scars.

“We did have a deal, after all.”

Nicole gave half a grin, her hands resting on Waverly’s hips. “Yeah, Earp. Yeah, we did.”

 

+++++

 

They spent the night in the abandoned house, curled up together on the couch.

In the morning, they grabbed a few changes of clothing and a handful of miscellaneous other items, then set out to continue north.

“I miss easy access to water already,” Waverly joked, not five feet from the house.

Nicole, limping a bit and resting a hand just under her ribs, shot her a grin. “Dude, I completely understand that feeling.”

Waverly frowned at her. “Are you okay?”

“What? Oh.” Nicole cleared her throat and lowered her hand, though she was still limping. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? We can-”

“I’m _alright_ , Waverly,” Nicole insisted. “Let’s just get out of here.”

“… Okay. If you’re sure.”

Nicole patted her shoulder a bit too roughly. “I’m sure.”

 

+++++

 

After walking for three days through a dense forest, a muddy river, and what felt like seventeen large hills, they still hadn’t seen a single other person.

Which was good for them, Waverly knew, because Nicole was starting to fade.

It had started a ways back, but Nicole had persuaded her that everything was okay.

It very clearly wasn’t.

She was limping heavily, almost dragging herself along, her skin paler than usually and far too sweat-slicked for the mild temperatures. Her hand was back at her side, and she had started to stumble her way over all of the obstacles in their path.

When she outright _fell_ down an embankment they were walking on, Waverly knew it was well beyond the point for her to stop.

“Nicole, please,” she begged in a whisper. “Please. Let’s just take a break for a bit, okay?”

“Can’t,” Nicole murmured, her speech slurred. “Gotta get ya somewhere safe.”

“I’m safe with _you_ , so sit your goddamn ass _down_.”

Waverly caught Nicole’s arm and forced her to come to a stop.

The moment she was no longer moving forward, Nicole simply collapsed.


	7. Calling Your Name At The Night

_“Nicole!”_

Waverly sprinted over to the captain, falling to her knees beside her and shaking her roughly. “Nicole, come on. Please. Please, Nicole.”

She didn’t respond at all.

Waverly’s fingers fluttered to Nicole’s throat, checking for the dull thud of her pulse. For a minute, she didn’t think it was there.

Then she found it, faint and thready, deep in her throat.

Waverly gave a long sigh of relief, leaning down and resting her forehead on Nicole’s collarbone.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

She looked around, trying to find something– anything –that could help her. They were alone in the middle of nowhere, with barely any water and a handful of things that hardly counted as food.

She didn’t know what to do.

There was a small patch of trees about two hundred feet away, but she didn’t think that she could manage it.

They were both weak. Exhausted. And Waverly wasn’t sure she had it in her to drag her friend that far over a clearing’s bumpy terrain.

Looking down at Nicole, shuddering in the grass, she wasn’t sure she had much choice.

 

+++++

 

Fire was a bad plan. The smoke was a beacon, letting anyone from miles around pinpoint exactly where they were.

Waverly just didn’t care anymore.

She had dragged Nicole to a sheltered section of the clearing, half surrounded by trees and half surrounded by an outcropping in the landscape. Then she built a fire and pulled Nicole as close to it as was safe.

It wasn’t cold. Chilly enough to wear long sleeved shirts, but not cold enough for anything more.

But Nicole was shivering so badly that her teeth were chattering, and her skin was still glossy.

She hadn’t woken up since passing out.

Waverly sat next to Nicole’s head, idly stroking her hair. “You’re going to be okay. You’re alright.”

She looked up at the moon, full in the sky above them.

“You have to be.”

 

+++++

 

After what had to be hours, Waverly tried to wake Nicole to force her to drink some water.

Nicole finally opened her eyes, but Waverly had hardly any chance to offer up the bottle before Nicole rolled over and puked into the grass next to her, the convulsions in her body getting worse.

“Nicky.” Waverly grabbed her shoulder and held her, stroking the back of her neck.

The captain heaved until she physically couldn’t anymore, then collapsed back against Waverly as she choked.

“Nicole, _please_ ,” Waverly begged. She pushed the water against Nicole’s lips, making her drink some of it, and to her relief the choking started to subside.

She was beginning to think that they were making progress when Nicole jolted forward again, throwing up the water she had just drank. Waverly swallowed, forcing back tears, and dragged Nicole away to a cleaner section of ground.

By the time she had them settled, Nicole was out cold again.

 

+++++

 

Waverly returned from gathering firewood and set some of it in the burning flames. She dug around in the pack, pulled out one of the extra shirts, and carried it over with her to Nicole.

As she crouched down, laying the shirt over Nicole like a blanket, she heard Nicole whisper, “Waverly.”

She froze, staring down at her, but Nicole was still asleep.

With a small smile, Waverly tucked Nicole’s hair behind her ear, kissed her on the temple, and went to arrange the stacks of wood.

 

+++++

 

It was dark, and, aside from the earlier episode, Nicole had not woken up. Waverly sat cross-legged in the grass next to the fire, holding Nicole’s head in her lap.

As she gently stroke Nicole’s hair, she spoke in a soft whisper.

“You’re a real bastard, you know.

“You always have to be all stupidly noble and self-sacrificing. Blaming yourself for not taking more punishment than me. You jackass. I’m a lot stronger than you seem to think. Youngest kid in _my_ household? I had Wynonna Earp for a big sister. You really think those guys scared me? Try growing up with the kind of person who tries racing her dad’s truck through the fields in the backyard when she’s twelve.

“And _you_. Cocky Irish flyboy. You’re such a shit.

“I mean… seriously, where did you learn to sass people like that? Did you take a class? You have to have, because you’re a _smartass_. Which is good, because then at least a part of you is smart. Because you’re just. So. Fucking. _Stupid_.

“I am so pissed at you. Do you understand that? Working yourself half to death to keep me safe in that camp. Driving yourself practically the rest of the way to try to get me home.

“And I saw you stumbling a bit before we got to that house. Don’t think I didn’t. You knew something was wrong before we had sex, didn’t you? And yet we did it anyway.

“You could’ve said something, you know. Nicole. You could’ve told me that you weren’t up for it yet. I would’ve waited. I would’ve waited for you. I’m pretty sure I’d do anything for you.”

Waverly swallowed and stared down at Nicole, brushing her thumb over her cheek.

“You have to wake up,” she continued, her voice cracking as tears started to form in her eyes. “Do you hear me, Haught? You have to wake up. You aren’t allowed to die out here. I’m forbidding it. I don’t give a shit if that’s impractical. I’m forbidding it anyway. So you get your ass back awake, Nicole Haught, because you _cannot leave me_.” She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Please. Please, don’t leave.”

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Nicole’s forehead. “I love you.”

She rested her head against Nicole’s, letting go and crying.

And as she focused on the captain unconscious in her lap, she barely even noticed the metal of a gun barrel pressing against the back of her neck.


	8. Death Is At Your Doorstep

When Nicole’s eyes cracked open, the first thing she saw was a black and white English setter.

“Cerberus’s smaller th’n I thou’t,” she mumbled. “An’ has less heads.”

She tilted her head slightly and saw a woman standing behind the dog, her arms crossed as she frowned down at Nicole.

It was then that she realized she was lying under a heavy blanket on a couch in a house she didn’t recognize.

And she couldn’t see _her_.

“Waverly,” Nicole said, struggling to try to sit up despite the pain aching through her body.

“No you don’t.” The woman immediately stepped forward, pushing Nicole back down by the shoulders. “Your friend is fine. I sent her upstairs to shower.”

Nicole’s vision blurred as she hit the pillow, pain surging through her again. “Wave…”

“Shhh… Shhh… It’s alright. Just sleep, child. You’ll be okay.”

“Can’t… who… you… Wave…”

“My name is Mattie Perley. I found you in the woods. Now _rest_. You’re safe here.”

Nicole tried to argue, but she found that she couldn’t. All she could do was slip back into the darkness.

 

+++++

 

Waverly sat down in the chair across from the couch, staring at Nicole as she slept. She pulled her feet up to her chest and hugged them tightly, resting her chin on her knees.

“She was awake a little while ago,” Mattie said, heading into the room with a hot cup of tea. She set it on the table next to Waverly. “Just briefly. She wouldn’t stop asking for you.”

“We’ve been through a lot.” Waverly took a small sip of the tea. “I need her to be okay, but I don’t know what to do for her.”

“I took a look at her injuries while you were showering. I have something that I think will help her. It’s a little unorthodox, though, and it will hurt.”

Waverly took another sip of tea. “Do you have any alcohol?”

“Well, I believe there’s some pommeau.”

“What… is that.”

Mattie chuckled. “A mix of apple juice and apple brandy.”

“It’ll work.”

“I hope you don’t intend to give that to your friend.”

“Nope.” Waverly stood and walked over to Nicole, brushing her fingertips over Nicole’s forehead. “It’s for me.”

 

+++++

 

“So what exactly are you going to do to her?” Waverly asked warily as they set Nicole down on a table in what seemed to be a workshop of sorts.

“I think she’s bleeding internally. Just slightly. There’s a rather recent injury near her liver.”

“She was stabbed there our last day in the prison.”

“Well, liver bleeds are typically just a slow ooze. They _can_ heal by themselves. But if she’s worked herself a lot since that injury…”

“Or, say, got beaten shortly after the injury happened?”

Mattie blinked at Waverly. “Yes. Yes, that, combined with your traveling, would certainly make it worse.”

“What about sex?”

“What… about it?”

Waverly rubbed the back of her neck. “Would that aggravate damage like that?”

“Hm. How vigorous?”

“H-How… I-I don’t… It was just.. normal.. sex? I-I… We were too tired to do anything… I…”

Mattie raised an eyebrow at her. “You didn’t strike me as the shy type.”

“Great,” Waverly said through gritted teeth. “Can we just move on?”

“Regardless, yes, sex would make it worse, too.”

“Okay. Well. What’s. The plan.”

“If her problem is what I think it is, then I have a solution for it. A mixture that works. But I’m going to have to force it down her throat. Nobody could just eat it straight, and she’s not conscious anyway.” Mattie met Waverly’s gaze solidly. “You’re going to have to hold her head still. It’s going to hurt, Waverly. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But if she jerks around too much, she’ll only get hurt worse.”

Waverly nodded, took a huge gulp of the alcohol Mattie had given her, and stood at Nicole’s head. She pressed a kiss to her hair and ran her thumb against Nicole’s cheek. “Do it,” she whispered.

 

+++++

 

Mattie mixed up a concoction that smelled like diesel fuel and looked like pureed tree bark.

“I can see why people aren’t volunteering to drink this stuff,” Waverly said dryly.

“It is quite appetizing, isn’t it?” Mattie tilted Nicole’s head back to straighten her throat and handed Waverly a tube. “Put this down her throat.”

“What… I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Do you want her to live?”

Waverly paused, then took the tubing from her. “More than anything.”

They got it set up, a funnel in the top of the tube and Nicole’s arms tied down. Mattie hovered with the concoction in a bowl.

“When this starts, I shouldn’t stop. But once it’s done, it’ll help with the healing process. It’ll help her get better. I need you to remember that.”

“I know.” Waverly took in a long, deep breath. “Go ahead.”

Mattie started pouring.

Within seconds, Nicole jerked awake in a panic.

Waverly held her head steady, making sure that Nicole could see her. “Nic. Hey. Hey hey hey. It’s alright. You’re okay. Just stay still for just a few minutes for me. Please? Please. Baby, please. It’s alright. You’re okay, Nic. Please. Just focus on me.”

Nicole closed her eyes, and Waverly felt her shift her head slightly so that it rested against the palm of her hand. She could see the tension and pain vibrating through Nicole’s body, but, where Waverly was touching her, she was incredibly still.

Mattie finished as quickly as possible, then rapidly pulled the tubing out. She clamped a hand down over Nicole’s mouth before she could move.

“Your instinct is going to be to get sick,” she said, her voice low and calm. “You can’t do that. It will help you, but only if you allow it. I know it hurts. But you’ve proven that you can handle worse, haven’t you, Captain?”

Nicole shuddered and nodded. Mattie reached down and released her arms.

“Keep her lying down for as long as you can, Waverly.” She patted the younger woman on the shoulder. “If you do that, I have faith that your friend will start to improve.”

 

+++++

 

After a few hours, Nicole was transferred back onto the couch, where she passed out again. Waverly sat by her feet, watching her with worry in her eyes.

“You do love her, don’t you?” Mattie said softly from the doorway.

“Yes.” Waverly leaned back against the cushions, her eyes never leaving Nicole’s pale face. “I don’t know how it’s possible. I’ve known her for… seven weeks? Is it eight yet? I don’t even know. I mean, I _knew_ her before then, but we were mostly just acquaintances.” She laughed dryly. “It hurts this much to see her like this, and it took unbearable torture to actually meet her. I really _suck_ at this flirting thing.”

“Love is… a moving target.” Mattie sat down in the chair, her dog jumping up with her to be petted. “It’s not easy to believe someone falling in love in a day, because most of the time the love that’s being felt isn’t the kind of love that’s being pictured. You love Nicole after a fairly short time of dating, and in your head that doesn’t make sense because you’re thinking of the kind of love people have after being married for years. True Love’s Kiss, the epic romance, the love that feels like a sonnet. But what you’re feeling is just as legitimate. The feeling of someone who cares about you, who would take unending punishment to protect you. The love for someone who is attentive and who wants nothing more than your happiness. It’s love for someone that you’ve been through hell with. It might be fast, sure. But it’s no less real, Waverly Earp. It’s the kind that can only get stronger with time.”

Waverly threaded her fingers with Nicole’s under the blanket. “Thank you. For giving us that time.”

“I have no love for those assholes, no pun intended. And _you_ , little one, have a whole lot of life left in you. I can see that quite plainly.”

“So if love gets stronger in time, do you think I can grow it with that life I’ve got left?” Waverly asked mildly, fidgeting with the blanket covering Nicole’s feet.

“I’m not quite sure that metaphor worked the way you intended it to,” Mattie teased, her voice gentle. “But I wouldn’t worry. I haven’t gotten much chance to get to know your unconscious lover there, but I get the impression that she would walk over hot coals for you. Possibly literally. Which I wouldn’t recommend asking her to do, because she’s already a half-dead idiot as it is.”

Waverly laughed despite herself. “You know, the reason I’m in this mess is because I snuck into her plane.”

“What?”

“I’m not even a soldier. I’m a journalist. I was trying to get a story, so I snuck into the back of Nicole’s airplane.” She looked at Mattie, who was giving her a dumbfounded look. “Yeah. Now which one of us is the idiot?”

Mattie shook her head slowly, then picked up her mug of tea and took a sip. “Both. You’re perfect for each other.”


	9. Speak Of Grace

Nicole woke up with her head resting in Waverly’s lap.

“Waves,” she murmured softly.

Blinking rapidly as if she had fallen asleep, Waverly looked down at her and grinned. “Hi. How are you?”

“Feeling a bit like I’ve been run over by a bus, but, like, a _small_ bus instead of a double-decker this time.”

Waverly laughed. “That’s good, I think?”

Nicole reached up, brushing her thumb across Waverly’s cheek. “Why are you crying, Wave?”

“Nothing. I just was worried that I was gonna have to walk all the way back home by myself.”

“Nah. You could’ve found a puppy or something.”

“Absolutely. I would’ve replaced you in a heartbeat.”

Nicole laughed quietly, then turned her face towards Waverly’s shirt and snuggled against it.

She was asleep within moments, and Waverly just continued to hold her, stroking her fingers through her hair.

 

+++++

 

It took two weeks for Nicole to regain enough strength for them to leave Mattie’s place. As they put their bags on their backs, with as many supplies as could be spared, Waverly hugged Mattie tightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered in the older woman’s ear. “For giving her back to me.”

“Try not to lose her again,” Mattie murmured in response.

“I won’t.”

Waverly pulled back, resting her fingers on Nicole’s arm as the captain reached out to shake Mattie’s hand.

“Be good, you two. No more collapsing in the middle of nowhere.”

“Will do,” Nicole said with a grin.

She rested her hand between Waverly’s shoulder blades, then led her out into the pitch black night.

 

+++++

 

Nicole didn’t know how long they walked. She had always been good at time. Keeping track of sunsets and measuring hours and minding daylight changes. But at some point, locked in that pitch black cell without any senses left to her but the sound of her own heartbeat and the touch of Waverly’s fingers on her clothes, she had lost all concept of how long they had been out.

Nothing would ever be as long as the time in that darkness.

She pulled off her jacket when she noticed Waverly shivering, draping it over her shoulders. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “We’ll rest soon.”

“Nicole, don’t give this to me,” Waverly replied, anger in her eyes. “You’ll freeze.”

“I’m alright. I swear.” When the glare didn’t subside, Nicole held up her hands in surrender. “Can you just wear it for a bit to warm up, and then I’ll take it back? Please? For me?”

Waverly snorted but pulled the jacket up a bit to hide her face behind the collar. “Your puppy dog eyes are murder, Haught.”

Nicole grinned and leaned down close to her. “What can I say? I’m very charming. I can get whatever girl I want.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mhm.”

“Then go get Mother Nature and seduce her into turning off the goddamn wind.”

Nicole laughed and tugged Waverly to a stop, pulling her in the direction of an old outpost. “Sorry, babe. We haven’t been on speaking terms since I gave her a one night fuck for good weather the day of my first flight.”

“Bastard.”

“You know it.” Nicole scanned the outpost cautiously, then pushed the door open. “But luckily for you, I’m a bastard who thinks we should stop here for the day.”

Waverly sighed heavily and entered the doorway Nicole was holding open. “Bless you.”

“Damn well better,” Nicole joked before following her in.

 

+++++

 

Waverly woke to a weight pressing down along her entire body, and she opened her eyes in a panic. Nicole was on top of her, a hand covering her mouth.

“Shh,” Nicole whispered, so softly Waverly almost didn’t hear her. “There are soldiers outside.”

She could hear them, clomping around in the field next to the outpost. At some point, Waverly realized, she had been moved further into the area, behind a thick wall that seemed to be some sort of defense for shooting at invaders. Nicole was pressed down along her entire body, knees pinning down Waverly’s wrists, one hand gripped over Waverly’s mouth, her other hand holding her knife.

Waverly could see the fear, liquid in Nicole’s brown eyes, but there was something else there, too.

Sheer determination and willpower.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, Waverly wasn’t afraid.

Nicole winced as the sounds of the soldiers got closer, and she leaned down, resting her forehead against Waverly’s.

“Shh,” she repeated under her breath, to no one in particular. “We’re gonna be okay.”

After another twenty minutes or so of the soldiers shuffling around outside of the outpost, Waverly heard the sounds of people getting into cars, and several vehicles drove away from the building.

Nicole stayed tense for several lengthy moments, as if worried someone had remained. Then she breathed a heavy sigh of relief and slid her hand off of Waverly’s mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I had to act quickly.”

“Don’t be sorry. Although maybe you can give me my hands back?”

Flushed, Nicole slid her knees away, but before she could get up, Waverly looped her arms around her neck.

“Thank you,” Waverly said, her voice quiet.

Nicole stared down at her, the fear in her eyes slowly replaced with a heat that made Waverly’s stomach tumble.

And before she could think to stop herself, she tugged Nicole down to her, and kissed her roughly on the mouth.


	10. Bloodshot And Beat

They kissed, and they kissed, until they finally had to break for air, Nicole resting her forehead on the cool floor next to Waverly to calm down.

“We should move,” she murmured, her body trembling. “Get out of here now, in case they come back.”

Waverly pressed her lips softly against Nicole’s cheek. “Alright,” she murmured, and she felt Nicole quiver again. “Let’s go.”

Nicole stood carefully, then held out her hand to help Waverly to her feet. With a grin, she slid her hands down to the backs of Waverly’s thighs and pulled, picking her up and swinging her over the barrier they had been hiding behind.

Waverly let out a short, breathless laugh that turned into a yelp as Nicole stumbled and almost dropped her. Sheepishly, Nicole set her down gently and bent over, resting with her hands on her knees.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I forgot that I’m… not well.”

Waverly stroked the back of her neck. “It’s okay, Nic. Neither of us is.” She tugged Nicole into a standing position and looped her arm around her shoulders. “Just lean on me for a bit until you catch your breath.”

Nicole kissed the top of her head. “We’ll lean on each other.”

 

+++++

 

“We’ll want to start heading west soon,” Nicole said, squinting at her compass. “But we need to get past that town up ahead first.”

“Should we go around it.”

Nicole took in the area, gazing up at the mountains surrounding them. “I don’t think we can,” she admitted. “It would take hours that… that I’m not sure we can afford.”

“You’re saying that we wouldn’t survive a trek like that,” Waverly murmured.

With some hesitation, Nicole replied, “You might.”

“And you wouldn’t.” Waverly leaned against her. “Town it is.”

 

+++++

 

At the very last moment, Nicole decided that walking through the center of town would be safer than trying to edge along the outskirts.

“We should blend in,” she said. “With the crowd. I don’t know if it’ll work, because I don’t know how familiar these people are with outsiders, but that main road looks well-traveled. I’m thinking it’s the best bet.”

“I agree. I saw quite a few tire tracks in the mud back there. Some old. Some new. It would suggest livelihood.”

Nicole stared at her.

Waverly smirked. “Don’t think you’re the only smart one in this adventure, Captain Haught.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Nicole placed her hand against the small of Waverly’s back. “Just keep moving.”

 

+++++

 

They made it through the town with remarkable ease, only ducking into an alleyway to avoid a police officer once. Just outside of town, they found the barn of a farm that, from all appearances, was only active in the warmer months.

“C’mon,” Nicole said. “We should stop until nightfall.”

Inside the barn, Waverly found an old stack of hay and immediately plopped down on it.

“There are probably bugs,” she said. “And mice. And god knows what else. And I can’t seem to find myself caring.”

Nicole chuckled and knelt down next to her. “Someday soon we’ll get some actual sleep.”

Waverly started playing with the ends of Nicole’s hair. “If you could eat anything in the world right now, what would it be?”

After a moment of thought, Nicole said, “Shepherd’s pie. With a pint.”

“Mm. Yes. I approve.”

“What about you?”

Waverly closed her eyes as if imagining it. “The biggest piece of chocolate cake I have ever seen in my life.”

Nicole laughed and kissed Waverly on the cheek. “Yours is better.”

“I know.” Waverly turned, fixing her gaze on Nicole. “Do you remember… that deal we made. How we’d have sex once we got out of prison.”

“Yes. We made good on that deal, unless I was just dreaming.”

“Do you dream about me, Nicole Haught?” Waverly teased gently.

“Haven’t had much time to. But I would.”

Waverly murmured in agreement before continuing, “I know that the point of that was motivation. So that we could have something to look forward to, to give us the strength to get out.”

“Yes.”

“I want it to be more than that.”

Nicole closed her eyes, her stomach twisting into knots. “Are you sure? I’m the one who got us into this mess.”

Waverly moved her hand up, resting it against Nicole’s cheek. “I’m sure. We’re going to get home, Nicole. I know we are. Because I want you in my bed. A _real_ bed.”

Nicole kissed her, softly and deeply and until Waverly moaned quietly. “Well,” Nicole whispered. “That’s a hell of a motivation, Ms. Earp.”

 

+++++

 

It was days before they got away from the rough terrain of the mountains, but once they did, they were able to start heading west.

After about a week, they found a field with a small camp set up in it.

Crouched down in nearby trees, Nicole squinted at the tents. “Hm.”

“What is it? Do we have to go around?” Waverly gripped the sleeve of Nicole’s jacket. “They aren’t going to find us, are they?”

“I hope they do,” Nicole replied, letting out the breath she was holding. “It’s _our people_.”

She stepped out of the trees, pulling Waverly along with her, so urgently that Waverly could tell she wanted to run. They got just to the edge of the camp as the sun started to peek over the horizon, and Nicole turned to Waverly, utter joy in her eyes.

“Waverly,” she whispered. “We’re going to be okay.”

With an excited, breathless giggle, Nicole pulled Waverly into a hug, then smashed a kiss to her mouth.

The enthusiasm lasted mere seconds before they were shoved apart, and a fist landed hard on Nicole’s face.


	11. Hope In The Darkness

_“Wynonna, don’t!”_

Waverly shoved herself between Wynonna and Nicole, who was on the ground desperately trying to get her knife out of her boot.

Nicole blinked and realized that she was staring up at Major Wynonna Earp of the Army of the Canadian Republic. “Shit,” she mumbled before weakly getting to her feet and tossing a hesitant salute.

Wynonna returned it lazily and said, “What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing, Captain?”

“I-I, uh… I don’t… Ma’am, why did you _punch me_?”

“I’ll tell you why.” Wynonna jabbed a finger into Nicole’s sternum. “You take my baby sister up into your stupid plane to show off, and then you get your dumb ass captured! And her with you! I don’t have time to come trekking after cocky shithead flyboys who try to impress girls into fucking them!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am,” Nicole stammered.

“Wynonna, _stop_.” Waverly tugged her sister away from Nicole. “Can you just be glad to see me?”

The older Earp’s expression softened almost immediately, and she pulled Waverly into a crushing hug. “Oh, baby girl, believe me. I’m _really_ glad to see you.” She glared at Nicole over her shoulder. “I’m just also going to kill your friend.”

“No. You aren’t,” Waverly said firmly as she stepped out of the hug. “Wynonna, please.  Don’t blame Nicole.”

“Don’t blame her? Seriously?”

Nicole stared down at her boots, her face flushed red.

“Lay off her, would you? We’ve been through enough.” Waverly patted Nicole on the shoulder gently.

“Gross, you’ve been making out with her, haven’t you?”

“I love her,” Waverly said, too easily, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. She froze briefly, shooting her gaze up to meet Wynonna’s startled one.

“Well,” Wynonna said slowly, her tone dry. “I think maybe the two of you are gonna need to talk about that.”

She pointed over at the small fire in the middle of the camp. “Have a seat.” Her pointing finger turned until it was an inch from Nicole’s face. “Stay within view at all times, flyboy.” Wynonna headed off in the direction of the tents, muttering, “I make all this ruckus and neither of the boys wake up? _Seriously?_ ”

 

+++++

 

Waverly took Nicole by the hand and led her over to the fire, pushing her down to sit against the small stack of wood nearby. She then sat down as well, positioning herself between Nicole’s legs and leaning back against Nicole’s chest.

“Your sister might shoot me if she sees us like this,” Nicole murmured in Waverly’s ear.

“She’s all bark no bite,” Waverly replied, resting her head against Nicole’s jaw.

“My face says different.”

Waverly reached up, gently stroking Nicole’s cheek. “I’m sorry. She’s protective.”

“It’s okay. So am I.” Nicole kissed the spot just behind Waverly’s ear. “So,” she whispered. “You love me, huh?”

Waverly buried her face in her knees. “I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.”

“Ouch.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” she said quickly. “It’s _true_. I just… I didn’t know if you were ready to hear it.”

Nicole hugged her close, resting her chin on Waverly’s shoulder and watching the fire. “I-I love you, too.”

Waverly’s throat tightened as she heard the hesitation. “Don’t,” she choked out.

“Don’t… what?”

“Don’t just say it because I did,” she said, her voice quivering. “You don’t have to. I wouldn’t _want_ you to.”

Nicole reached around and tilted Waverly’s chin until she could look at her. “Waverly Earp. I love you. Even if love is scary.” She kissed the corner of Waverly’s frown. “Even if your _sister_ is scary, too.”

Waverly laughed and turned around more fully, so she could kiss Nicole solidly on the mouth.

There was a sharp curse from the other side of the camp, and a tin can hit Nicole in the back of the head.

“Christ,” Nicole mumbled.

Waverly jumped to her feet, glaring in Wynonna’s direction. “For fuck’s sake, Wynonna!”

“I said paws off, flyboy!”

“What is your goddamn _problem_?”

Wynonna met Waverly’s gaze steadily. “She got you in that plane and she put you in danger and I almost lost you. Still _could_ lose you if we can’t get out of this godforsaken country. That’s on _her_.”

“No, it’s not.” Waverly bowed her head. “I hid in her plane, Wynonna. I got in the back before she took off. She never knew I was there until it was too late. This is on _me_. Not Nicole.”

For a long moment, Wynonna just stared at her. Then she closed the distance between them and squeezed Waverly into a hug. “You’re such an idiot,” she murmured. “Brave. But an _idiot_.”

Waverly enjoyed the hug for a long moment, and when she opened her eyes, she saw two men heading towards them from the tents. Wynonna stepped back and gestured at them.

“This is Lieutenant Colonel Xavier Dolls from the Western American Army. And this is Lieutenant Commander John Henry Holliday from the Germanic Navy.” Wynonna winked at her little sister. “Everybody calls him ‘Doc’ because he’s always in need of one.”

John Henry snorted and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve not been in need of medical assistance since I was a boy.”

“You almost blew yourself up with dynamite, Doc.”

_“Almost.”_

Nicole pulled herself to her feet and saluted both men. “Sirs.”

“Sit _down_ , Haught,” Dolls said, waving her away. “You need rest, not to keep jumping up every ten seconds.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

Dolls turned to Wynonna. “We’re going to head out first thing tomorrow morning. I want to give them some time to rest, and I also want to have time to plot out the return trip.”

“Understood, sir.”

“You going to help me out, Holliday?”

Doc scoffed and followed Dolls back towards the tents. “If I don’t, we’ll end up in Australia.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly couldn’t remember the last time she slept this well.

No, actually, she did.

She had been five years old and the worst storm her hometown had ever seen was whipping through and the blizzard was shaking the old house right down to the foundation. It was cold, and scary, and Waverly was sleeping on the couch in the living room like she had been instructed to do every night.

And she was afraid.

She was afraid, until Wynonna snuck downstairs with three extra blankets and a pillow, and bundled herself onto the couch with her little sister, and the two of them rode out the storm together.

Waverly slept like a stone despite the howling winds, curled up safely in her sister’s arms.

Now she was in a completely different set of arms, pressed tightly against the sleeping form of Nicole Haught, and for the first time since she was five years old, she felt warm and safe and _wanted_.

And for the first time since that plane went down, she could sleep without worrying over every single brush of air over grass.

They weren’t home yet.

But there, wrapped up in Nicole’s grasp, under the protective watch of Wynonna, Waverly Earp finally felt free.

 

+++++

 

Waverly woke up first.

She shifted slowly in her position, careful not to wake Nicole, and made her way over to the spot Wynonna had indicated for bathroom breaks.

When she returned, Nicole had sprawled in her back, still out cold, resting on top of the sleeping mat in a position that was almost one that would be used in a regular bed.

With a soft grin, Waverly sat down and cautiously pulled Nicole’s head into her lap. She didn’t stir, so Waverly began gently stroking her forehead.

Wynonna walked over to her and sat down on the other side of the fire.

“You really do care about her, don’t you?”

“She saved my life,” Waverly murmured. She paused briefly. “They… They tortured us, Wynonna.” Her sister flinched, but Waverly pressed forward. “A lot. But Nicole always egged them on. Taunted them. Drew their attention away from me as much as possible. She took so much pain, all so that I wouldn’t have to.”

Waverly closed her eyes and shivered. “She almost died, Wynonna,” she said, as softly as she could while still letting her sister hear her. “She collapsed while we were traveling. From those injuries. If a random citizen hadn’t helped us, I know she would have died out there.” She opened her eyes again and met Wynonna’s gaze steadily. “And I would have died, too. Because I would have sat there. And sat there. Until my body couldn’t take it anymore, and I slipped away. I wouldn’t have been able to leave her there, even if she was dead. Not after what she did for me. I have to get her home.”

She looked down at Nicole, still stroking her forehead. “I love her. And I’m not even sure those words are strong enough.”

“We’ll get her home,” Wynonna murmured.

“What?”

Wynonna kept her gaze on the fire but raised her voice just enough, letting it ride on the soft breeze. “We’ll get her home, Waves. I promise you. Both of you are going home.”


	12. No More Tears

Nicole kept her arm looped over Waverly’s shoulders as they headed down a small hill. They missed a step and came down a bit too hard, causing Nicole to give a sharp grunt of pain.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly whispered.

“For what?” Nicole asked in a murmur.

“You shouldn’t be hurt like this, Nic. This shouldn’t have happened. It’s my fault.”

Nicole chuckled softly and kissed Waverly on the temple. “Baby, I told you before. This isn’t your fault. None of it was. It’s okay.”

“Hey, kids, are you both done gossiping back there?” Wynonna asked from a few feet in front of them, walking beside Dolls while Doc kept an eye behind them all.

“We’re moving, Wyn,” Waverly said, a playfully exasperated note in her voice. “Y’know _some_ of us have taken a beating recently.”

Wynonna’s eyes darkened, but she just nodded and said, “Okay. Just. Let’s. We have to keep going.”

Waverly let her tone get more serious. “Alright. We understand.” She glanced up at Nicole. “You ready?”

Nicole grimaced. “I’m not dying, so that’s something.” She broke into a grin and squeezed Waverly’s shoulders. “Yes, Waverly. I’m fine.”

“You’re an asshole.”

Nicole leaned down to growl in Waverly’s ear. “Good thing for me that you like it.”

 

+++++

 

They traveled for over a week.

When they stepped out of a bunch of tall grass, Dolls pointed at a building that was barely visible in the distance.

“There we are,” he said. “That’s the base.”

Nicole patted Doc on the shoulder and held out a hand for his binoculars. She took them and raised them, looking at the building.

“Oh, look,” she said dryly. “Stairs.”

Waverly, Doc, and Wynonna all snorted. Dolls just blinked at her.

“Problem with stairs, Captain?”

Nicole shrugged. “I’m not a fan of cardio, sir.”

Dolls gave the faintest smirk. “Don’t worry, Haught. There isn’t much more of it left.”

 

+++++

 

General McCready met them as they entered the base, quickly relieving them as everyone but Waverly saluted.

“Captain Haught. Ms. Earp. Are you both okay?”

Nicole turned to Waverly, and Waverly suddenly realized that she honestly didn’t know the answer to that question.

She wasn’t sure if either of them did.

“Why don’t you both go to medical and get checked out?” Gus said softly. “Then we’ll debrief, okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Nicole stammered. “Er. Yes, ma’am.”

She took Waverly by the hand and led her off further through the base.

Wynonna went to follow, but Gus stopped her with a short, “Major Earp.”

“What?”

“Why don’t you stay back here and debrief with the rest of your team.”

Wynonna blinked at her. “B-But ma’am, I… I want to stay with my sister.”

“That’s understandable,” Gus said, her voice gentle. “But maybe give her some space to breathe, alright?”

With a bowed head, Wynonna gritted her teeth and replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

 

+++++

 

After being examined by medical staff, Nicole and Waverly were both shoved into hospital beds for rest and medication and fluids.

They insisted on being in beds within touching distance of each other, and the staff granted the request after Waverly had been caught sneaking out of her bed to sit in Nicole’s more than three times.

Gus walked in and sat down in a chair between both of their beds, her hands linked in front of her.

“I read the report you gave the doctors,” she said quietly. “The report of your injuries, as well. You both… You’ve been through hell. And in a way I commend you for that, because I don’t know many people who would be able to get through it all in one piece and still be as mentally put together as the two of you still are.”

“We had each other,” Nicole murmured. “It’s the only way we survived it.”

“Even so,” Gus said, her voice cautious and gentle, “Ms. Earp _will_ have to be transferred to a facility off-base. It’ll be better, and besides, once she’s more fully physically healed, she really doesn’t need to-”

“Please,” Waverly interrupted. Her eyes were wide and desperate. “General, _please_.” She swallowed, voice cracking, as she continued, “I-I-I can’t… You can’t just…”

“Ms. Earp, I’m only trying to-.”

_“No!”_ Waverly tugged her IV out and jumped out of bed as well as she could, her entire body shaking. “You can’t. Please. You can’t.”

Nicole, a bit more careful with her wires, slid out of bed and pulled Waverly into a backwards hug, gently stroking her hair and cheek.

“Shhh,” she soothed in a whisper. “It’s okay. Wave, it’s gonna be okay.”

Waverly broke down into trembling sobs, and Nicole slowly collapsed until they were both sitting on the floor in hospital gowns, Waverly curled up in Nicole’s lap with her face buried against Nicole’s neck. Nicole held her tight and tried to comfort her, to calm her down, but her own voice was a weak quiver.

Gus watched them for a moment, stunned. “Your report was not as detailed as it could have been, was it?”

Nicole swallowed and shook her head, still stroking her fingers through Waverly’s hair.

“I-I don’t know what you want me to say, General,” she whispered. “We’re all we’ve had for months.”

Gus stood up and held out a hand. “Come here. You both need _bed rest_ , not sitting on the floor.”

“B-But what about…” Waverly sniffed and rubbed at her face. “What about…”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Earp,” Gus murmured. “I think we can work something out.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly and Nicole laid in their separate beds, staring at the ceiling. “You know,” Waverly said, “I think that was the first time I’ve cried, really cried, since this whole thing started.”

“No, it isn’t,” Nicole murmured.

“What was the other?”

“When you were sobbing over me telling me that I wasn’t allowed to die.”

Waverly stared at Nicole in pure horror. “You did _not_ hear that.”

“Mm. Not all of it. I was kind of in and out of consciousness and I felt like my insides were about the split apart into a thousand pieces. But I heard enough.” Nicole grinned. “It was very adorable, Waverly.”

“Fuck off,” Waverly said grumpily. “At least I didn’t whisper your name in my sleep, unlike _some_ people.”

Nicole blushed. “What now?”

“Mhm. Yeah. Big tough pilot whispered my name in her fever dream.”

“Well, shit.”

“You’re never living that one down, Haught.”

They laughed quickly, trailing off into a bit of an awkward silence.

“Nicole?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think the nurses will be back in for a while. Can I sleep in your bed? I-I… I don’t think I can sleep without being next to you.”

Nicole’s voice was the gentlest Waverly had ever heard it as she replied, “Of course you can, Waverly. Believe me. I understand the feeling.”

Waverly carefully got out of her own bed and made her way to Nicole’s, tucking herself under the covers and against Nicole’s side while making sure not to push on any wires or tubes or bandages.

“I love you,” Waverly whispered with a sigh as she settled in Nicole’s arms.

Nicole pressed a kiss against the top of Waverly’s head. “I love you, too.”


	13. The Noise Of This Place

Nicole was moved back into officer’s quarters, and, after much prodding and begging, Waverly was allowed in with her.

They couldn’t be sent home. Not now. So all Nicole’s superiors could do was give her duties at the base and let them try to heal on their own.

“I think they’re going to be testing out one or two of the new explosive ordnances tomorrow,” Nicole murmured as Waverly laid on top of her, idly stroking a scar on Nicole’s collarbone. “Just outside.”

“I’m far more afraid of the dark than noise,” Waverly replied. She leaned down and peppered kisses along a scar that traced the side of Nicole’s neck. “Will _you_ be okay?”

“Probably.” Nicole tightened her grip on Waverly and closed her eyes. “As long as I don’t think about the plane.”

Waverly shuddered. “Great. Now _I’m_ thinking about the plane.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole murmured.

The journalist didn’t respond. She just tucked herself against the captain’s chest, and they both pretended to fall asleep.

 

+++++

 

“Waverly,” Wynonna asked quietly, stopping next to her little sister as the younger Earp watched Nicole inventory flashlights. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Waverly replied, not looking at her.

“Look, I… I saw the reports. The pictures. The accounts of what they did to you.”

Waverly closed her eyes briefly and set her jaw. “Is there a question in there somewhere, Wynonna?”

“I need to know if it’s true.”

“You think we lied?”

“No. But I just… need to see it with my own two eyes. You were both being so secretive on the way home, and I’m…” Wynonna shrugged and shoved her hands into her pockets. “I’m scared out of my mind, Waverly. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be safe. You know that. And now, I… You…”

Waverly set her hand on Wynonna’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you could’ve done to stop this.”

“Maybe not. But I can get them back for it, can’t I?”

After a long pause, Waverly glanced around to ensure that the only person within sight of them was Nicole. Then she pulled up her shirt, revealing the harsh scars scattered over her torso.

Wynonna stared at them. “You… They never stopped, did they?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Sometimes. Only when continuing would’ve killed us.”

“Nicole’s is _worse_?”

Waverly lowered her shirt and shot a quick look at Nicole, who had turned her attention in their direction. “Yes.”

“Jesus,” Wynonna mumbled.

Nicole walked up to them, holding a small box in her hands. “Did you need a torch, Major?”

“No, Captain. Just checking in.” Wynonna’s voice had regained its perfect, crisp calm. She kissed Waverly quickly on the temple and nodded at both of them. “I need to be going. I’ll see you later.”

She returned Nicole’s salute and headed off down the hallway.

 

+++++

 

_Nicole opens her eyes and her plane is flying through the air, calmly, casually. The sky is at peace, and the woman she loves is in her ear._

_“Where are we going, Nicky?” Waverly whispers, a voice that sounds more in the back of Nicole’s head than the back of her plane._

_She opens her mouth to respond, but she can’t. She’s choking, the taste of blood thick on her tongue._

_She manages to murmur “Wave…”_

_There’s no response, and when she looks at her control, her plane is diving out of the sky with no explanation._

_Nicole desperately pulls at the controls, trying to scream for Waverly through the clog in her chest. There’s an explosion at the side of her plane, and suddenly everything is dark._

_Darker than the darkest dark in the world._

_When she opens her eyes, Waverly is leaning over her, face covered in blood, deep gashes down to the bone on her cheek. Her gaze, hollow and distant, centers itself on Nicole’s._

_“You did this, you know,” she hisses, in a voice not quite her own. “Don’t you?”_

_“Nn,” Nicole mumbles, coughing, and she can feel blood dripping out of the corner of her mouth._

_She blinks, and Waverly is replaced by Reggie, his goggles affixed to his face, a smirk on his lips._

_He raises his knife, red hot, and says, “Don’t worry, Captain. This won’t hurt a bit.”_

_Then he slowly, deliberately, slides it into Nicole’s abdomen._

_Pain shoots through her like a lightning bolt, and it won’t stop._

_It doesn’t stop._

_It doesn’t…_

 

+++++

 

_“Nicole!”_

Waverly shook Nicole’s shoulders desperately, screaming her name directly at the woman’s face. “Nicole, goddammit!”

“Waves?!” Wynonna sprinted into the room, in sweatpants and a t-shirt, fear etched on her face.

“She’s screaming,” Waverly explained, entirely unnecessarily as Nicole writhed beneath her. “But she’s asleep, and I can’t wake her up.”

“Shit,” Wynonna muttered. “Haught, c’mon. _Haught!_ ”

They both shook Nicole for another minute, but when it did nothing, Wynonna grunted and said, “Wave, try to hold her still. She ain’t gonna like this, but it might actually work.”

Waverly got as solidly on top of Nicole as she could as she asked, “What are you going to-”

Wynonna picked up a glass of water from the nightstand and dumped it directly onto Nicole’s face.

Nicole snapped awake with a jolt, yelling Waverly’s name and taking a swing in Wynonna’s direction.

Wynonna grabbed her fist and pushed it backwards, joining Waverly in pinning her down.

“Haught,” Wynonna said sharply. “Haught.” Her voice softened as she said, “Nicole. You’re okay. You’re safe. You’re at the base.”

“Baby,” Waverly whispered. She softly traced from Nicole’s temple to her jaw. “Baby, look at me, please. You’re okay.”

Nicole turned to her, and her body relaxed just slightly, even though her eyes were still flooded with terror.

“If we let you go,” Wynonna asked, her tone remarkably calm, “do you promise not to freak out?”

“Y-Yes,” Nicole mumbled weakly.

“Good kid.” Wynonna stepped away, releasing Nicole’s arm.

The captain immediately reached up and stroked Waverly’s cheek. “You’re okay?”

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Waverly murmured. “I’m fine. Alright? Everything is okay.”

Nicole closed her eyes and rested her head back against her pillow, her breaths coming out shallow. Then, so quietly that both sisters had to strain to hear it, she whispered, “I’m not.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole and Waverly sat next to each other in the cafeteria the same way they did every day: alone, far away from everyone else, in a corner, huddled together and watching around them for potential threats as if they were street dogs protecting scraps of food.

“I’m so tired.” Nicole rested her head against Waverly’s shoulder and sighed. “God, baby, I’m so tired.”

Waverly set her fork down and reached up to stroke Nicole’s cheek. “I know, honey. I am, too. We’ll figure this out.”

She felt Nicole go tense next to her, then Nicole surged forward, grabbing her knife off her plate and resting it against the throat of the person who had suddenly sat down across from them.

Nicole blinked for a moment at the man sitting across from them. She reddened and sat back down, dropping her knife onto her tray and brushing her hands on her pants.

“Uh… sorry.”

“No need, Captain.” Instead of reaching out to shake their hands he gave a small wave. “I’m Colonel Randy Nedley.”

“I know who you are,” Nicole said. “You’re the…” She trailed off awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Nedley laughed. “Go ahead and say it, kid.”

“The, uh. Lunatic who won’t leave.”

“Very political. Nicely said.” Nedley smiled slightly. “Look… I’ve been keeping an eye on you two. I’ve seen how you interact with each other, and how you behave overall. I know what that look is. I’ve been there. If you’d like to at least learn how to breathe a bit more easily again, I might be able to help you both out.”

Waverly turned to Nicole, who had stiffened next to her. She rested her hand on Nicole’s knee under the table, stroking it softly.

Nicole looked at her, silently reading Waverly’s eyes. Then she met Nedley’s gaze, nodded stiffly, and said, “Please.”


	14. Lie Next To Her

“Have you met my daughter?” Nedley asked, gesturing at the young woman stirring a mixing bowl at the kitchen counter of his base apartment.

“Chrissy, right?” Nicole nodded at the woman. “We’ve met once or twice. You’re a civilian.”

“Yes. I stay with my dad, though.”

“That’s something that can happen?” Waverly asked curiously.

Nedley shrugged. “It’s a pretty big fort. My daughter helps when things get bad. And she bakes cookies, which means that the idiot soldier boys are all for her being around.”

“Soldier girls, too,” Nicole muttered.

Waverly smacked her shoulder, grinning faintly. “Behave.”

“Jokes are good, though,” Chrissy said as she started scooping batter onto a tray. “They’re good for keeping yourself sane.”

“I don’t know how much you know about me, Ms. Earp,” Nedley said, taking a sip from a mug of coffee. “I’m effectively retired now. I do some of the firearms training. Help out where I can. But for the most part I’m just the weird guy who wanders around the base all day and had a bit of a breakdown at one point in my life.”

“Could I ask what happened?”

“Of course, Ms. Earp. That’s the point of this.” Nedley waited for Chrissy to put the tray of cookies in the small oven and sit down at the table next to him. “I was on a front line in a battle, six years ago. It was me and eight other soldiers. We had just walked through this town that had been _ravaged_. Completely ripped apart. Blood and bodies and limbs everywhere. We walked through it, tried not to see it, and then before we could think we were getting shot at.”

He rubbed at his arm absentmindedly. “I took a bullet to the arm. One to the gut. I dropped into the dirt and could do nothing but watch as the rest of my unit was killed around me.”

“Christ,” Nicole mumbled.

“I was the only one who survived. And I’ve lived with that ever since. I had nightmares. Flashbacks. Paranoia. More.” Nedley shot a small grin at his daughter. “The only thing that saved me was talking it through with Chrissy. Having her there for me. Discussing what being me felt like. It helps. It really does.”

Waverly stroked the back of Nicole’s hand absentmindedly under the table. “Do you think we could, uhm…” She shot a glance at Nicole. “Do you think we could talk to you sometime?”

Nedley smiled slightly. “Absolutely, kid.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly leaned against the wall, watching Nicole work. Wynonna came up behind her, gently tapping her on the shoulder.

“I heard you’ve been, uh, _chatting_ with the crazy colonel.”

“Colonel Nedley?”

“That’d be the one.”

“He’s a great help,” Waverly said, folding her arms across her chest. “Nic and I need to talk about what happened to us, Wynonna. We’re suffocating under the weight of it. Since he’s not busy like the rest of you, and he’s been there, he’s a great listener.”

“Alright, but I don’t know if he’s exactly-”

“Wynonna,” Waverly interrupted sharply, shooting a glare at her out of the corner of her eye. “If Colonel Nedley is crazy, so am I.”

After a moment, Wynonna tugged her sister into a hug. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, baby girl.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole kissed Waverly on the head just after one in the morning and slid out of bed, pulling on her pants and one of her workout t-shirts.

She knocked on Nedley’s door hesitantly, wincing when it opened to show a half-asleep Chrissy.

“Haught,” she slurred. “What time is it?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Nicole whispered. “I just… I needed to… There are things I need to say to your father without Waverly with me, and I-I…”

Chrissy rubbed at her eyes. “Come in.”

“I don’t-”

“Nicole. Shut up and come in.”

Within a few minutes, Nicole was seated in a chair across from Nedley, fidgeting with the stitching on her pants.

“C’mon, kid,” he said gruffly. “Don’t drag me out of bed if you aren’t going to talk. You can say whatever you need to say.”

Nicole hesitated for another few moments. Then, quietly, she said, “Do you ever feel… like it was all your fault?”

Nedley said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

“I should’ve checked my plane better. Waverly should’ve never had a chance to be in that situation. And if I had just been stronger, she wouldn’t have been hurt as bad. I could’ve taken more if I hadn’t been so _weak_. I-I…” Nicole struggled to steady her trembling hands. “She could’ve been home so much faster if I hadn’t been holding her back. I-I’m so fucking _useless_.”

She buried her face in her hands, shaking but not crying.

Nedley watched her for a long moment. Then, softly, he said, “You’re only human, Nicole. You aren’t useless. There was nothing that you could’ve done that would’ve changed what happened to the two of you. It just happened, Captain. It wasn’t your fault. Waverly doesn’t blame you.”

“I know she doesn’t,” Nicole whispered.

He leaned forward, his voice lowering even more. “You shouldn’t blame _yourself_ , either.”

“How do I do that, Colonel?”

“That’s the easy part, kid.” Nedley reached over and patted her on the knee. “You find some strength in someone you love, and you hold onto it. Can you do that, you think?”

“Yeah,” Nicole murmured. “Yeah, I think I can do that.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole sat back on her bed and pulled off her boots. Before she could tug at her shirt, she felt fingertips trail up her spine.

“Where were you?” Waverly whispered. “I was worried.”

“Nowhere special. Just needed to talk.” Nicole pulled back the sheets and got into bed, straddling Waverly’s hips and resting her palms flat on the mattress on either side of Waverly’s head. “I love you. You know that, right?”

Waverly skimmed her fingers under the edge of Nicole’s t-shirt, brushing them lazily against her abs. “I know. I love you, too.” Her brow furrowed with worry. “What’s wrong, Nicole?”

Nicole shook her head, knowing full well that her eyes were watering. “Nothing, baby. Everything’s starting to get right, I think, actually.”

“Good.” Waverly moved her touch to the small of Nicole’s back, sending shivers through her. “Kiss me, Captain.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The kiss lingered, sloppy and sleepy due to the late hour.

“Nicole,” Waverly whispered.

“Yes?”

“The only time I’ve had you was when you were injured and we were on the run.”

Nicole chuckled and leaned down to kiss the side of Waverly’s throat. “I’m aware.”

“I want you again.”

Nicole froze, lifting her head to look Waverly in the eye. “Now?”

Waverly traced Nicole’s collarbone through the cotton of her shirt. “Yes. Now.”

“If you’re too tired, I can wait until-”

“Nic,” Waverly interrupted. “Are _you_ too tired?”

“No.”

“Then I’m not either.”

Nicole paused, then sat back on her heels so that she could use her hands to peel off Waverly’s sleepshirt. She set it gently onto the floor, then took off her own t-shirt.

“Waverly Earp,” she whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Waverly’s lips. “You can have me all you want.”


	15. Let The Memories Be Good

Nicole woke to a hand being smacked down over her mouth and another grabbing her by the wrists. She reacted on instinct and panic, bringing her knee up and slamming it into the shoulder of the person above her. She heard a soft grunt, but the grip on her only tightened.

“Christ, Haught, it’s only me.”

Nicole squinted through the darkness and found Wynonna’s face, hovering about a foot above her. “Major? What the hell?” Nicole mumbled through Wynonna’s hand.

“I want to talk to you,” Wynonna whispered. “But I don’t want to wake Waverly.”

“Okay…” Nicole glanced beside her at her sleeping girlfriend, then carefully climbed out of the bed. She pulled on sweatpants over her boxers and slid her feet into her boots, grateful that she had put on a t-shirt before falling asleep. Rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes, she followed Wynonna out of the room and down the hall, until they had stepped out onto an observation deck.

“Sorry for the cloak and dagger,” Wynonna said, leaning on the railing. “I just… I don’t want Waverly to overhear this conversation.”

“That’s fine. But you scared the shit out of me, Major.”

Wynonna winced. “I’m sorry. Truly, Nicole, I am.” She shrugged. “I’ve never been very good at thinking through my decisions.”

Nicole leaned next to her. “I’m getting the impression that that’s what this conversation is about.”

“Sort of. I need you to promise me something.”

“What?”

“Promise me that, no matter what happens, you’ll keep taking care of Waverly.”

Nicole turned her head quickly. “What are you doing, Wynonna?”

“Look, that base you guys were in, it’s a major hub, okay? That’s why they didn’t kill you two. Why they were torturing you so badly. They _needed_ to know why you were so close to them.” Wynonna stared down at her hands, gripped on the railing. “We need to destroy it, but I have no interest in going in there hot and blind, especially if there might be more of our people locked up in there, going through the same hell those jackasses put you through.”

“So you’re going to set up surveillance, right? A few flyovers, snipers watching the area from a distance, that sort of-”

“No, Haught. Dolls, Doc, and I are going to go in ourselves and scope it out. Sneak in, sneak out. Figure out the best options for attack, and make sure that there aren’t any innocents in there.”

“That’s suicide, Major.”

Wynonna shot her a crooked grin that barely covered her anxiety. “Maybe for shithead flyboys like you…”

“I’m not joking. Waverly has been through enough. I-I know you’re a soldier, we both are, but I…” Nicole bowed her head. “If she lost you, I don’t know what she would do.”

Wynonna set her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “That’s why I need you to promise me that you’ll keep her safe.”

Nicole laughed softly. “She doesn’t need either of us for _that_.”

Wynonna grinned. “No. But it’ll make me feel better anyway.”

“I promise,” Nicole said. “She won’t be alone, Wynonna. I swear it.”

“Good.” Wynonna looked out into the distance, sighing quietly. “Thank you.”

 

+++++

 

“How are you not terrified right now?” Nicole asked curiously, squinting at Waverly as they ate lunch in the cafeteria.

“I _am_ terrified,” Waverly admitted. “I’m scared as hell that I’m going to lose my big sister. But I trust her, Nicole. I know that she’s really damn good at her job. So I have to believe that she can do this.”

Nicole poked at her pasta with her fork. “I don’t know if I can.”

“You can,” Waverly said confidently. She reached out and stroked Nicole’s hand. “You want to go on the raid when it happens, don’t you?”

“I-I…” Nicole shrugged and continued poking at her food.

“Nic.”

“I promised your sister that I’d keep you safe. That you wouldn’t be alone. We can’t both go…”

“Captain Nicole Haught. Look at me. Right now.”

Nicole raised her head, meeting Waverly’s gaze hesitantly.

“You’re a soldier. That’s something you and my sister both have in common. You protect people.” Waverly gave a strained grin. “And that’s one of the things I love so much about you.” She reached out, stroking her thumb across Nicole’s cheek. “You need to do this. I know you do. And I’ll be right here waiting for you when you get back.”

“Are you sure?” Nicole whispered.

Waverly nodded, her eyes glistening. “Absolutely.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole made sure that Waverly was busy with the Nedleys when Wynonna’s group pulled back into the fort.

She went outside to meet them, staying at a polite distance as Gus approached them for a quick debrief.

As they went to head inside, Wynonna spotted Nicole off to the side and muttered something to Dolls, who nodded. Then she broke away from the group and walked over to the captain.

“I have something for you,” she said. “Something that I think you need.”

“... Okay?”

Wynonna held out a small carrying case, and Nicole took it and opened it.

Inside was Reggie’s goggles, bloodied, the lenses cracked.

Nicole’s breath caught in her throat. “This is…”

“Waverly described them to me once,” Wynonna murmured. “Him. His goggles. How he wore them when he hurt you both.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. “If there’s anything I understand pretty well, Haught, it’s anger. And as much as you feel the guilt and the pain and everything else, the anger is right there bubbling along with it. The need for him to hurt like you did. But that isn’t you, Nicole. I’ve come to know that, too. You could never just kill someone, but you _needed_ to know that he couldn’t do this to anyone else ever again.”

She reached out, gripping Nicole’s shoulder firmly. “He’s gone, Nicole. Trust me. He’s dead. I made sure of it myself. Because I couldn’t let you and my sister live the rest of your lives in fear that he was still out there.” She tapped a finger against the goggles. “And this is how I could prove it to you.”

Nicole shuddered, swallowing down bile as she stared at the representation of the man that had caused so much pain. Had caused _Waverly_ pain. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick. “Thank you for this.”

“Of course.” Wynonna, to both of their surprise, pulled her into a hug. “You both deserved better, Nicole. I couldn’t stop it. But I could sure as fuck pay back the bastard who did it.”

 

+++++

 

The raid was scheduled quickly.

Nicole went out to her new plane, skimming her hand over the fuselage. “Alright,” she said softly. “We can do this.”

She frowned slightly, thinking, and then pulled herself up to examine the cockpit intensely.

“Checking for passengers?”

Nicole jumped so badly that she smacked her head into a piece of metal and cursed loudly. She dropped back down onto the ground. Waverly was standing there, smirking at her.

“Had to be sure,” Nicole said, tapping Waverly on the nose. “I want you _here_ this time, darling. Not that I didn’t appreciate the help.”

“Mm. No arguments from me. Once was enough.” Waverly looped her arms around Nicole’s neck. “Just make sure you come back, alright?”

“I promise.”

“Don’t promise. Just do it.”

Nicole laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Waverly traced the line of Nicole’s jaw. “Say ‘darling’ again.”

“Darling.”

“Your accent really is _delicious_.”

Nicole grinned and shook her head slowly. “You wanted me to go, Waverly. Don’t tempt me into staying now.”

“I’m not,” Waverly said, a note of offense in her voice. “I just needed to have it be said. You know. Just in case.”

“Speaking of things that need to be said,” Nicole said slowly. “Waverly, I-I… In case I don’t come back, I need you to know…”

“Hush,” Waverly whispered, tapping her fingers against Nicole’s lips. “Save it.”

“But what if I _can’t_ save it?” Nicole asked irritably. “That’s kind of the point, Waves.”

“I don’t care.” Waverly rested their foreheads together. “I want to hear it later. If you want to say it, you just have to make sure you live.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Besides. I want the last thing you hear me say before you go to be that I love you.”

Nicole gave a small grin and lifted Waverly’s chin. “I love you too, Waverly Earp.”

She kissed Waverly, long and hungry and until Waverly whimpered softly. Then she stepped back, gave a cocky smirk and a wink, and climbed into her plane.

Waverly took a few steps back and watched as it started taxiing towards the runway.

“You damn well better come back to me, Nicole Haught,” she whispered. “You damn well better.”


	16. Only Love Will Win In The End

Waverly stood in the observation tower, watching the horizon.

Nicole, Wynonna, and the others had been gone for hours. She wasn’t sure when they were due back. She had gone up into this room all by herself, partially intentionally so that she wouldn’t have to know anything, and partially because she could practically feel the general grumpily glaring at her every time she realized a journalist was around.

All Waverly knew was that they had been gone for a while, and she wanted them to come back soon.

She leaned against the glass as she saw the planes come in. Watched them land one by one.

Her stomach dropped to her feet as she realized that she couldn’t see the new plane Nicole had taken out.

As she searched the runway, desperation thudding in her heart, the trucks and tanks rolled back into the base. Waverly shot a glance in that direction, but she couldn’t tell whether Wynonna was in one of them.

So she turned her attention back to the planes.

“Come on, Nicole,” she whispered. “Come on. Please. Please, baby, don’t do this to me.”

Her attention was focused outside when the door behind her opened, and someone stepped up next to her.

“What are we looking for?”

Waverly spun around, finding Nicole standing right next her, peering out the window of the observation deck.

“Oh, god!” Waverly jumped into Nicole’s arms, hooking her legs around Nicole’s waist and her hands behind Nicole’s neck. Nicole, laughing, stumbled backwards until her back was supported against the wall.

“Hey, baby. Glad to see me?”

“You. Complete. _Ass._ Nicole. Haught,” Waverly growled, punctuating each word with a rough kiss to Nicole’s mouth. She leaned back, cupping Nicole’s face with one hand and stroking her thumb against Nicole’s cheek and lower lip. “How did you get here? I didn’t see your plane come in.”

“Well… uh… you see…”

Waverly’s eyes narrowed. “Holy fuck. You wrecked another one.”

“It was not my fault.”

“Neither was the last one.”

“I got shot through both wings _and_ the tail!”

“The general is going to revoke your pilot’s license.”

Nicole groaned and leaned her head back against the wall. “At least I fricking _lived_. That should be considered impressive, thanks very much.”

“I’m happy for you. I’m also _pissed off_ , because you crashed your goddamn plane again.”

“Hey.” Nicole leaned forward, kissing Waverly softly. “I’m fine, baby. I’m okay. Wynonna sent a truck right out to get me, and I drove back here with her and Dolls and Doc.”

“They’re all okay?”

“We’re all fine. I promise. Dolls got shot in the shoulder and Doc has a broken leg, but we’re _fine_.” Nicole smiled softly. “I’m here, baby. I’m really here.”

Waverly moved forward and hugged her tightly, and Nicole shifted from the wall and spun in a small circle, giggling. She buried her face in Waverly’s neck and whispered, “Marry me.”

Waverly’s breath tripped over itself in its attempt to leave her throat. “What?”

Nicole met her gaze evenly, though her eyes were a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and fear. “Marry me, Waverly Earp. Will you?”

There was only a small hesitation before Waverly stroked Nicole’s cheek and grinned. “Yes. Yes, Nicole Haught, I will.”

Nicole spun her around again, the grin on her face widening. “Thank god,” she breathed. “I have to go debrief in about two hours, but I’m yours until then, and after that, love, I’m yours for the rest of our lives.”

“Good.” Waverly kissed Nicole on the forehead. “Go over to the door.”

Obediently, still carrying her, Nicole made her way over to the door to the observation deck. Waverly reached out and clicked it locked, then cupped Nicole’s face in her hands.

“How about a debriefing _now_ , Captain?”

Nicole groaned. “That’s terrible.”

“Maybe so.” Waverly kissed Nicole, long and slow, her fingers slipping down the back of Nicole’s uniform to brush against one of the scars.

Nicole took in a short, sharp gasp and shuddered.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly said quickly, pulling her hand back. “Did that hurt?”

“No,” Nicole murmured. “It just reminded me of something.”

“Of what?”

Nicole carried Waverly into the center of the room, standing so that the sunset was glowing behind her as Waverly looked at her.

“That I wouldn’t have survived that place without you, Waverly Earp. Whenever anything went wrong, I had only to think of you, and I somehow found the strength to survive. To pull through. You saved my life, baby.”

“We saved each other,” Waverly replied.

“Regardless. I know that I can do anything now. I know that no matter what happens when I’m out there, I’ll be able to survive it. I know that I don’t need to be afraid.” Nicole smiled softly. “Because I have you to come home to.”

“And you always will, flyboy.”

With a grin, Nicole kissed Waverly hard on the mouth. “It’s a deal,” she whispered as she started to lower them both to the floor.


End file.
